


reading aloud

by lorspolairepeluche



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alcohol, Gen, halla and dorian get drunk, halla is talky when she's drunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 04:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8651527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorspolairepeluche/pseuds/lorspolairepeluche
Summary: Everybody's got their secrets that come out when drunk, and everybody's got their hangover remedies.





	

“What’s your favorite kind of wine?”

Halla looked up from the report she read in Dorian’s usual chair, frowning. “What?”

Dorian smiled, his usual disarming smirk to cover up the fact that he had, indeed, just blurted the question with little forethought. “And when is your birthday?”

Halla raised an eyebrow. “My birthday is in almost exactly six months, actually. And I like Antivan port, if you must know. Although I didn’t get much chance for drinking when I lived in Ostwick. My family was a little too religious for that. Thank the Maker for older brothers, though; Yewan used to sneak me glasses at parties when he sensed I was getting fed up with it all.” She smiled at the memory, and Dorian considered the conversation a success.

—

Halla let out a long, long sigh as her advisors depart the room. Josephine cast a glance back, but left with the others, sharing a secretive smile with the man outside the door. Halla ran a hand through her hair, exhaustion creeping up on her. War meetings were long, taxing affairs. “I need a break,” she said aloud to no one.

“I have just the thing.”

Halla jumped before whipping around. “Dorian?”

“Three bottles of Antivan port, to be exact. Our ambassador is so accommodating sometimes.” Dorian held up a green glass bottle, inspecting it in the sunset streaming through the windows of the war room. “Join me, Inquisitor. Let’s get, shall we say, sloshed.”

Halla smiled almost reluctantly. “That sounds excellent right about now.”

—

“You know,” Dorian remarked as he sat down on the edge of Halla’s bed, “we even look related. Look, our skin is nearly the same color. We have the same dark hair, too. Mine is, of course, much better kept and much shinier.”

Halla scrubbed her fingers through her hair, messing it up even more before sticking her tongue out at him from where she sat in the middle of her bed, the third bottle of wine in her other hand. “Too drunk to care right now,” she muttered, her words slurring a bit. “Y’r right, though.” She fell to lie on her side, Dorian’s hand darting out to catch the bottle before it spilled. “Y’look like me. Look like Luke. You…remind me of him. Too much, sometimes. Hurts. Miss him…”

“Who’s Luke?” Dorian asked, curious, but Halla’s eyes had fallen shut and her breathing was deep and even.

The Inquisitor was asleep.

Dorian stood, crossing the room to find the cork for the bottle. He stoppered it and set it on her desk, leaving a note in an unusually messy hand but with his usual teasing wit: _Enjoyed this. We should do it more often. You’re quite charming when you’re drunk. D._

He glanced back once more as he exited the room, shutting the door behind him, resolving to find out next time he spoke to her: _who is Luke?_

—

“Ugh, Maker.”

“Good morning,” Dorian said without looking up as Halla leaned against the back of his chair. “Did you sleep well?”

“I don’t remember,” she admitted. “Woke up with a splitting headache, though. Didn’t vomit. That was good. You’re right, by the way.”

Dorian’s heart jumped to his throat for a moment, remembering: _Y’look like me. Look like Luke._

“We should do that again sometime. It was…cathartic.”

Dorian took a moment to calm his breathing before answering, “Yes, I do find that sometimes a good wine will be just the thing to get one to feel—”

“Dorian.”

He looked up, and Halla’s green eyes were radiating concern. “Are you all right? Is it that Aiyan’s gone?”

“Yes,” Dorian sighed. It wasn’t _entirely_ a lie. “I’m always worrying for either him or you, it seems. Usually both.”

“So that was why you wanted to get drunk,” Halla said. “Should have guessed. It’s okay. I’m worried about him, too. He’ll come back safe, though. He brought along the best fighters in the Inquisition. Besides us and Saraan and Panna, of course.” She moved to the bookshelf, took down a random book, flipped it open, and started reading aloud.

Dorian wrinkled his nose in amazement at her precise pronunciation. “You know Tevene?”

Halla snapped the book shut with one hand. “Bits and pieces. Didn’t understand most of that. I’ve found that reading aloud, even something I don’t understand or don’t pay attention to, sometimes helps get rid of the headache.” She seemed about to go on, but shook her head, turning to replace the book. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Dorian threw caution to the wind. “Who’s Luke?”

Halla looked over her shoulder, surprised. “What? How do you know that name?”

_She doesn’t remember, does she?_ “You…mentioned him last night.”

Halla sighed, turning so her back was to him again. “I guess you should know.” She swallowed audibly. “It’s still hard. To talk about him, I mean.”

“Take your time,” Dorian said, surprising himself by the gentleness in his voice.

It took Halla several seconds to compose her words. “Luke…was my favorite brother. He listened when no one else did, always knew when I was having a hard time. Even after he became a templar, he always made time for me. He could always make me feel better. They called me the Savior of Ostwick after the Circle fell because I killed so many shades and abominations. I did it for him. I was protecting Luke. I…well. I loved him.”

_And I remind her of him._ Dorian could feel the lump in his throat, and he struggled to not let it affect his voice. “You did love him. Very much. I can tell.”

“More than I’ve ever loved anyone else,” Halla whispered. “The reading thing, when I’m hungover. He suggested it when I told him that focusing on something else made the headache less. I was reading storybooks to get rid of hangovers. He thought I should try to expand my horizons, and he was right.” She shook herself, picking another book from the shelf and turning to sit on the floor, opening the book and beginning to read again. It was another book in Tevene, and Dorian could tell she didn’t quite understand the subject material. She spoke of assassinations far too lightly.

When she paused to squint at a particular word, her brow furrowing as her mouth worked silently around its pronunciation, Dorian took a chance and slipped into his native language.

“I am glad I remind you of him, my friend. You are dear to me. I hope you know that.”

He could tell she didn’t understand all of it by the smallest bit of confusion in her smile when she looked up, but she answered him in her little bit of Tevene nonetheless. “I’m your friend. Good.”

Her pronunciation was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> look i. i really love halla and dorian's relationship


End file.
